The Sea King's Daughter
by Anya2
Summary: Set between 1 & 2. When Will receives a mysterious note hinting at his father's fate, he, Jack and Elizabeth set out to save Bootstrap's soul. Norrington however is in hot pursuit and Jack has more troubles of his own with a vengeful former acquaintance.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Sea King's Daughter  
**Rating:** T  
**Disclaimers:** If I actually owed Jack Sparrow, I would be far too busy to be writing fiction...  
**Author's Notes:** I started writing this a while ago but kind of lost my way. Now I've had a rethink on the plot, tidied it up quite a bit and thought of a whole new middle and end. Hopefully this will turn out to be for the best. I've tried to write this so it fits in between CotBP and DMC. Also, the legend of the Sea King's daughter comes from an old fable (not the Russian story of the same name).

* * *

**Part 1**

The blade flashed in the sunlight that poked its way through the scattered gaps in the dark wooden building. The hand holding it tilted it slightly and the sun slid up the shinning metal, illuminating the fine craftsmanship that had gone into making it.

Will admired his own handiwork with pride for a moment, before flipping the blade round with an expert wrist and taking a few experimental swipes. Years of experience had attuned his ear to the sound a good blade made as it carved through the air. This one was almost perfect.

Taking it in both hands, he swung it into a thick wooden post, already riddled with the cuts from a dozen previous tests. Pulling the sword out again with ease, he examined the mark it had left - it was strong and clean as it should be, and the blade had cut deeply with little effort. Yes, a fine weapon indeed. He had had a positive feeling about it whilst he had still been crafting it, but you could never truly tell until you tried it for real.

The weapon had been made at the request of Governor Swann as a gift for a visiting dignitary who he would be entertaining for the next few weeks. The Governor had been uncommonly kind to him since he had helped rescue Elizabeth from Barbossa six long months ago. After his initial disbelief at her choice her father had grown to accept it, perhaps realising that not to do so would mean the loss of his daughter. He had set up Will as a master sword maker who was not only required to make weapons for the fleet, but also any special commissions such as this current one. His present role in life was clearly more acceptable than his previous one, Governor Swann having evidently decided that if his daughter was not to marry an officer or a gentleman, she could at least be wed to a successful business man.

And successful he was too. He had two apprentices working under him now - something highly unusual for a man of his tender years – and the security of constant employment had allowed him to save his pennies tirelessly. He knew he could never keep Elizabeth in the way she had become accustomed to, but he at least wanted them to be comfortable. She had protested that she needed only him, but he wanted to give her more than that - a comfortable home, good food on the table, fine clothes, security. And he wanted to give them to her himself, not have to rely on handouts from her father.

It wouldn't be long now, he realised with a smile. He'd been living particularly frugally in recent times, sleeping in his shop so as to not pay rent. A small cosy house nearby had been put up for sale and he had been delighted to find that the asking price was within his means. It needed a little decorative work doing, but Elizabeth had been overjoyed that she would be able to give the place her own touches, and he hadn't argued. No particular wedding date had been set up until now, but he hoped to speak to her about it today.

He didn't know why he was so nervous at the prospect. Hadn't she already accepted him? Hadn't she said over and over again how she longed for the day when she could call herself Mrs Elizabeth Turner?

Will smiled to himself once more, liking the sound of that.

His moment of wistful indulgence was interrupted by the arrival of the elder of his apprentices, holding out a piece of folded paper in his grubby hands.

"It's for you, Mr Turner," he stated plainly, allowing Will to take it from him.

Yes, it was addressed to him, written in a scrawling handwriting that he didn't recognise.

"Did you see who left it?" he asked frowning, mildly confused. It was unlike a customer to simply leave a note and few other people visited him here.

"No, sir," the boy answered, "I found it pushed under the door."

"Very well, you can go back to your work."

Returning the all but forgotten blade he had been testing to its case, he curiously opened the letter wondering who on earth would be writing to him. His initial thought was the rather hopeful one of Jack Sparrow. Although he would never have admitted it, he had rather missed the rouge pirate, having not seen hide nor hair of him since he had sailed away from Port Royal after barely escaping a hanging. Whispered rumours of the Black Pearl were still heard, but nothing he gave serious merit to. Norrington was apparently scouring the entire Caribbean in search of the pirate but so far had always returned empty handed.

Jack wasn't exactly Will's friend as such -– he didn't think Sparrow really considered himself friends with anyone -– but they had shared a certain kinship that in the end had saved both their lives. It was mildly disappointing that they had not crossed paths since.

He dismissed the idea of it being from errant Captain rather quickly though. Jack didn't exactly strike him as being a letter writing man. More the sort to stagger his way in unannounced, bringing with him a whole heap load of trouble.

Unfolding the note, Will saw that the handwriting inside was also rather scrawled, as though it had been written in a great hurry and whilst he had trouble at some points, overall it was just about legible.

'_Bootstrap was a good man, yet his fate far exceeds that of his former crew mates. They escaped with simple death, but he suffers still, paying exponentially for his crimes, a prisoner without hope. His very soul is the penalty for all he has done; a fate which no man deserves, let alone one such as him. But, young Turner, I would not write and tell you this if there was no chance for his redemption. Find the Sea King's Daughter. If you wish to help him, if you bear him no ill will and would look to spare his soul, persuade her to bestow her favour upon you and he may yet be saved and find his peace.'_

Will held his breath for many a long moment as he read the letter over and over again, trying to decipher its odd meaning, his mind overwhelmed with thoughts as his knees softened and he slid heavily to the floor.

It seemed that some terrible horror had befallen Bootstrap Bill Turner, his supposedly dead father, and he was suffering still for it. And whoever had written this letter obviously expected Will to come to his aid…


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

The maid struggled to pin Elizabeth's hair in place as the young lady desperately craned her neck so she could see the main drive leading up to the house. Will should have been here by now and she wondered what was keeping him. He was usually so punctual. She wasn't exactly worried about him as such, having seen from experience that he was more than capable of taking care of himself, she was just curious.

When she finally saw his unmistakable form hurrying towards the house with a box tucked under his arm, a broad smile split her face. The usual feeling of joy she got from the mere sight of him welled up instantly. She really was luckier than any woman ever deserved to be.

Escaping the maid and her pins, she fled out of the door and down the main staircase with as much decorum as she could muster. At the bottom she could see her father and his guest inspecting the blade that Will had brought with favouring eyes. The recipient gave Will what were obviously words of praise. The young sword maker usually took great pleasure and pride in his work, praise being more welcome to him than nearly anything else. Yet he seemed a little disheartened today. Perhaps he was not entirely satisfied with the blade he had produced. The necessity for a few last minute adjustments could possibly explain his lateness.

She greeted her father and his guest quickly as she passed them, heading straight for her fiancé who stood a few feet away.

"You're late, Will," she said brightly, "I had almost abandoned hope of you visiting me at all today."

"Forgive me," he said in a soft, distracted tone, hardly looking at her.

At once, she knew something was amiss. His speech, his manner, the paleness of his usually bright features - all spoke of some burden on his shoulders which made him think to the point of utter distraction.

"What on earth's the matter?" she asked with concern, lowering her voice so that they could not be overheard.

"It's nothing really," he responded too quickly with a most unconvincing shake of his head.

Elizabeth gave him a sharp look. "I thought that you of all people would know that I am neither an idiot, nor am I blind. Do you intend upon keeping such secrets from me when we are married?"

It was a low blow, she knew that. But if it would get him to share what was troubling him then it was a tactic that she was more than willing to employ.

He glanced around for a moment, almost as though he was looking for an escape, before he let out a soft sigh. "Is there some place we may talk quietly?" he asked, resigned to the fact that there would be no arguing with her.

A few minutes later they were sitting on a secluded bench in the garden of the Governor's mansion. Will pulled out the now rather crumpled letter from his pocket and wordlessly handed it to a perplexed Elizabeth. She read it once hurriedly and then again more slowly, trying to take in every meaning and nuance of the words, to make sure that she had really read what she thought she had.

"But your father's dead," she reasoned, at once giving the biggest objection to the letter's validity, "Barbossa said that-"

"We can't be sure of anything," he interrupted, clearly troubled by the idea as he paced in front of her, "Barbossa's men said that he had him tied to a cannon and thrown him overboard, but by that time they were already cursed and incapable of dying. What if my father managed to escape? What if all this time he's been trapped, victim of whatever terrible fate this refers to?"

Elizabeth shook her head uncertainly. She could understand Will's feelings. If it were her own father she would want to believe this letter more than anything in the world. But something about this whole thing made her uneasy and she felt that in this instance she had to be the voice of reason, warding him against doing anything rash.

"It seems strange don't you think that whoever this is chose to write now," she delicately pointed out, "Your father would have been trapped wherever he is for near ten years."

He looked a little surprised at her for a moment, as though he had expected her to automatically agree with all he said and had not expected such an inquest. "Perhaps they did not know who or where I was before," he reasoned, obviously already having thought up solutions to the many questions the letter posed, "Our adventures with Jack may have brought us to his attention. After all, the Black Pearl is well known. The fate of her crew probably is too."

"Perhaps," she agreed cautiously, not wanting to be seen to be actively extinguishing his hope, "But if this man wished you to help your father as this note implies, why would he give you such poor instructions? Why such cryptic clues?"

"He's likely concerned that the note may fall into unwanted hands," Will explained firmly, a little frustration starting to show in his tone, "He may be vulnerable. He may be scared that whatever fate has befallen my father might befall him too should it be known that he is trying to help."

"Very well," Elizabeth replied, following his well thought out chain of reasoning to the next logical step, "Then who exactly was this mystery man that left the note under your door?"

"I don't know," he admitted sharply, her constant questioning a clear irritation to him, "Does it matter?"

"Of course it does," she snapped back at once, unable to completely hold her tone in the face of his, "You don't know what their purpose is. You'd be a fool to just run off to the rescue. What if this is some kind of trick?"

"And what if it isn't?" he challenged.

There was little she could say to that.

Will huffed irritably, kicking a stone across the floor, clearly trying to take his frustration out on the scenery rather than her. "I don't pretend to understand this letter," he admitted, "I don't understand this talk of the Sea King's Daughter, whoever that may be. I don't know what I am expected to do. I can't 'run off to the rescue', Elizabeth. I wouldn't know where to start."

He sighed deeply, sweeping his hands back through his hair, looking pained and angry at his apparent helplessness.

Elizabeth hesitated momentarily, wondering whether she really should tell him, but quickly decided that she would never be able to sleep peacefully again if she knowingly withheld something so important from him.

"Come along," she said softly, standing up and taking his hand, "I have something to show you."

Will frowned in confusion, but an insistent tug of her hand was enough to make him willingly follow her back into the house. He only hesitated when they reached the threshold of her room.

"Elizabeth," he said in rather hushed, suddenly nervous tone, "I cannot enter your bedroom with you."

She smiled playfully, clearly amused by his reaction. "Don't worry," she teased, "I promise to behave myself." With a forceful tug she ignored any forthcoming protests and pulled him inside. "Sit," she instructed, indicating the small table and chairs by the open window overlooking the harbour. Will glanced around uneasily as he crossed over there, as though he half expected someone to jump out and start making accusations at him at any moment. Elizabeth barely managed to keep herself from laughing.

Once he was sat, she crossed to her bookcase. A few moments' search found the item she was looking for; a small, rather battered and dog-eared, leather bound book. Crossing over, she sat opposite a curious Will, taking a moment to search for the appropriate page.

"Here," she said, turning it around so that he could look at it. The title of the page clearly proclaimed 'The Sea King's Daughter'.

"I don't understand," Will said, his frown deepening in confusion as he studied the book a little closer.

"It's a legend, an old story," Elizabeth explained, not needing to look at the book to remember the content, "The Sea King's daughter supposedly fell in love with a man, so much so that she intended to leave her family and her way of life behind forever, foregoing her immortality for the chance to be with him. Her father found out about this and he was so angry – thinking she had humiliated him and had betrayed their people - that he sought to punish her. He sent the sea to flood her lover's house, claiming it for the ocean, killing everyone inside. Then he banished his daughter there, to live on the cusp of two worlds, neither fully land nor sea, condemning her to any eternity alone. He stripped her of all her fantastic abilities bar one – the power to grant wishes. The tale says that should you manage to catch her she must give you the one thing that your heart desires most."

There was a long silence.

"Where did you get this?" Will asked eventually, eyes fixed on the watery illustrations in the book.

"Mr Gibbs," Elizabeth admitted, "On the journey over from England. He said it was an old tale that pirates used to tell."

Will glanced up and they shared a long, knowing look.

"What do you intend to do?" she asked in soft, apprehensive tones. She had a feeling that she would not like the answer.

"Whatever I can, of course," he stated with steady determination, closing the book and glancing out at the harbour below.

She nodded, a sense of inevitability hitting her. To be honest, she had expected nothing less from him. His fierce loyalty, care and devotion were some of the traits that made her love him. And they had once saved her life. She could hardly expect him to abandon those traits now.

"And how do you expect to go about this?" she questioned, part of her resigned to the fact that he would and part of her desperate for any means of stopping him, "You have no clue as to what these words really mean. It's just a story after all."

"The same way curses are just fairy tales?" he asked in a slightly scornful tone that took her by surprise, "We all know how that worked out."

Her face hardened and she looked out of the window, feeling scolded and a little patronized by his words. On a base level she understood and respected his feelings and why they meant that he had to do the right thing. But it also meant him having to leave and a small, selfish part of her felt the resentment of being abandoned. She balked at the ignominy of being the little woman, forced to wait at home whilst he faced who knows what.

"If there's any chance that I can help my father, I have to try," he stated resolutely, as if trying to make it clear that no protest she could give would steer him from that fact.

"You have no idea where to start," she said, in a tight tone, trying not to get angry with him, knowing how unfair that would really be, even if it was how she felt.

"No," he admitted, "But I'd wager that I know a man who would."

It took Elizabeth just a few moments to realise who he meant.

"Jack Sparrow?" she asked, almost incredulously. She sat somewhere between trust and distrust when it came to the pirate and the fact that Will would so willingly put his fate in the man's hands made her very uneasy.

"He was a friend of my father's," Will explained, seeing her uncertainty, "If anyone could decipher this...Besides, this may have some meaning to pirates which eludes you and I. And he is the only pirate I will ever trust."

"But you don't know where he is either," she protested.

"I'll go to Tortuga," Will replied, "As I said, The Black Pearl is a well known ship, and someone is bound to know her whereabouts. I will find him, I will show him this note and I won't come back until I know what happened to my father. I can't."

'_And how long will that take?'_, Elizabeth wondered with a little despair.

"Let me come with you," she asked aloud, almost pleading but with only a small amount of hope that he would agree.

He shook his head, "No."

"But, Will..."

"Absolutely not", he said more firmly this time.

"Then what would you have me do?" she asked with angry frustration, tears beginning to burn her eyes, "Wait here like a good girl? Spend each day looking out to the ocean to see if you are returning? Fill my days with wondering if you are dead or not?"

"I'd have you stay here and be safe," he said in a tone that suggested that he thought she was being unreasonable.

She knew that love was the cause of his refusal and it would be wrong indeed to be angry with him for caring about her safety, but she couldn't help feeling a bitterness towards him. Yes, this was his father they were talking about, but she was his fiancée. Perhaps she had gotten too used to being the most important thing in his life.

"And what if I cannot do that?" she challenged, "What if I cannot wait?"

Will looked mildly alarmed by that, clearly wondering what on earth she meant. Did she really mean to tell him that if he left, she would not be waiting here to marry him when he returned? Any reply he might have made was cut off however when the door opened and Governor Swann entered the room, clearly looking for his daughter. Will stood up too hurriedly, knocking the table clean over so that the vase on it and the book scattered to the floor. His sudden overreaction made him look decidedly guilty.

"Mr Turner!" the Governor exclaimed in shock as he saw him, "What on earth are you doing here?"

"Elizabeth wanted to show me something," he stammered, before realising that that explanation sounded highly suspect, causing him to hurriedly add, "A book. She wanted to show me a book."

"Elizabeth?" the Governor asked, turning to his daughter for a clarification of that, trusting her not to lie to him.

"Will and I were having a disagreement, father," she said tightly, eyes glaring forcibly at Will, "About a matter of fiction. I was telling him that you should not believe everything that you read. It can be quite dangerous and rarely do such tales have a happy ending."

"Be that as it may…" the Governor began, half ignoring her explanation, meaning to give a stark warning to them both.

"My apologies, Governor," Will interrupted, "I didn't mean to offend. I have some business to attend to. If you'll excuse me."

He bowed stiffly to both of them, holding gaze with Elizabeth for just a moment. He seemed to be considering saying something to her but apparently reconsidered at the last moment. He hurriedly turned on his heels, leaving a confused Governor and a half upset, half furious Elizabeth behind.

"Really, Elizabeth," the Governor said a little scolding, "I understand you are soon to be married but a little decorum would not go amiss in the meantime."

But Elizabeth wasn't listening to him. When the table had spilled over, the vase and the book had fallen to the floor and now the water from the former was seeping into the pages of the latter. She bent down carefully, retrieving the sodden book, shaking the water away.

"Did you have an argument?" the Governor pressed, a little more gently this time, noticing her odd mood.

"Yes," she replied automatically, her voice rather hollow and her mind elsewhere. "He needs to go away on a business trip. I'd rather he didn't."

The Governor smiled understandingly. "I'm sure it is for the best," he comforted, "We want Mr Turner's business to go well after all. It'll make things all the easier when you are married. You should be grateful."

She glanced up and glared at her father and he looked momentarily uncomfortable at her sudden fierceness.

"Even the best of couples have their disagreements at times," he reasoned, as he recovered, "I'm sure that when he gets back from his trip and you are planning your wedding, all of this will be forgotten." He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I'll get a maid to come and clean this mess up. And perhaps you can start looking at fabric for your dress – it is a long way if you wish to order from London after all."

She nodded as he left but paid little heed to what he had said. Her attention was entirely held by the sodden book in her hands, the print running and the story blurring from view.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

Stepping onto the dock at Tortuga, Will's face screwed up in distaste and not just from the smell that assaulted him. Unfortunately the place hadn't changed in the slightest. It was still a filthy, rowdy, dangerous looking hell hole of debauchery. Not that he had really expected any different.

Glancing behind him, he saw the pirate that he had hitched a ride with trying to secure his boat safely to the dock whilst his small crew offloaded their cargo. The day after he had told Elizabeth of his plans, he had instructed his apprentices that he was going away on business for a time, and that they were to continue as well as they could in his absence. He didn't see much reason for concern. They were both bright, hard working boys and should manage admirably.

After assuring them he would return as soon as possible and dismissing the idea of visiting Elizabeth once more (they had argued enough for now and he didn't want to part on even worse terms than they already had) he had headed down to the dock and had begun to carefully scout the place for what he was searching for; a pirate, trying to blend into the background whilst picking up supplies for his ship - something that happened more often than the authorities would care to admit.

Will had spotted the perfect candidate in no time at all and had then followed the man around for a good hour just to be sure, waiting for the opportune moment to advance. The pirate looked so suspicious in his furtive actions and unmistakable attire that Will was surprised over and over again when he wasn't accosted by the troops patrolling the area. Still, he eventually returned to his small ship unchallenged, supplies in tow, looking pleased to have outwitted the King's Navy. That was when Will approached him. Of course at first the man had been highly reluctant to do anything even remotely resembling a good deed and was more than a little suspicious of Will's motives. He soon changed his mind however, forgetting any concerns he had once Will had shown him the fine selection of swords which he had brought with him as a bargaining tool. It was not long after this that they had loaded the fresh supplies into the boat's hold and were on their way to Tortuga.

Now it was night and their arrival had gone completely unnoticed by the throngs of drunken pirates too intent upon spending their plunder on rum, women and gambling to care what else was going on around them. Pirates had expensive hobbies. It was what kept them going back to sea time and time again when any other man would retire on the loot they could accumulate if they so wished.

Will turned briefly to the pirate who had ferried him here as he picked up the small sack of belongings he had brought with him.

"Do you know of the Black Pearl?"

"Aye," the man said, barely looking at him as he struggled with the rope. As far as he was concerned, he had upheld his side of the bargain. The blacksmith was now little more than an irritant.

"What of her whereabouts?" Will continued when it became apparent that no further information would be following that statement.

"She's been docked here in Tortuga these last few weeks," he said, dismissively, "Word has it Jack Sparrow's barely been out of a tavern since then so I doubt she'll be leaving any time soon, either."

Will nodded his thanks, even though the pirate chose to ignore them, and turned to walk towards the town. This was turning out to be much easier than he could have ever hoped for.

---

The first place Will decided to look was the tavern which Jack had taken him to on his last and only other visit to the island. Like the rest of Tortuga it hadn't changed much either, being as heaving with pirates, smoke, whores and rum as ever he could recall . The floor was slick with spilt liquor and dangerous for even the steadiest sea legs to walk on. Most in here weren't in the least steady though and Will found himself stepping over the drunken form of more than one pirate as he fought his way carefully through the throng while at the same time trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible. To stand out too much in this crowd could be a dangerous thing indeed. Realising that it was foolish to simply look for the roguish pirate amongst this rabble, Will resigned himself to having to ask someone. He chose a young woman, the least intimidating of the wenches working here. She told him that when she had last seen Sparrow he had been drinking in the corner alone. Drowning his sorrows for a reason she wouldn't or couldn't divulge. He thanked her and she smiled lasciviously, saying there was much more she could do for him than the good Captain ever could. Will hurriedly retreated.

Walking into the darkest corner of the room, he finally saw the man he was looking for sitting alone, his head resting on the table and a mass of tattered black hair obscuring his face from view. Even so, the form was unmistakably his. Will smiled, unexpectedly feeling great warmth at seeing the pirate again.

"Well," he said with a knowing grin as he took a seat opposite the man, "I expect I was the last person you should ever envision seeing in this place again."

Jack didn't stir.

Will frowned. Leaning in for a closer inspection he could hear a soft snoring coming from under the pile of hair. Moving it aside gingerly, he saw Jack was indeed fast asleep and drooling slightly on the table. He was not exactly the dashing sight Will suspected he often thought he was.

Picking up a nearby tankered of what smelt horribly like bad grog, he wasted no time in pouring the contents unceremoniously over Jack's head.

Jack snorted and woke up with a start, his head shooting off the table as he looked unsteadily around, trying to discover what had happened. When he saw Will, he frowned a little and squinted as if trying to focus properly. A moment later he grinned so all his gold teeth were showing.

"Will, lad!" he greeted jovially, "You all right?"

And with that his head slumped to the table again. There was a long pause and Will thought perhaps he had fallen back asleep. He was just looking around for something else to throw over him when Jack's head leapt off the table again in a sudden moment of realisation.

"What the bloody 'ell are you doing 'ere?" he asked with a frown, rubbing his head as though it were aching, "Aren't you meant to be in Port Royal making good with that fine lass of yours?"

Will, knowing he could do better than explain his reasons, simply handed him the letter that he had kept safely tucked within hand's reach throughout his journey. It was a testament to their still slightly uneasy friendship that he trusted him enough to show it without hesitation.

Jack looked puzzled, but at Will's urging took the note and read it silently to himself. His frown deepened as he did so, a disturbed look etching itself into his features. Once he had finished, his dark eyes looked up at Will again, a more serious look planted here than the young blacksmith could ever remember seeing.

"'Ave you told anyone about this?" he asked quietly.

"Only Elizabeth," Will answered solemnly. He understood the need for discretion.

"Good," Jack said, shortly.

He held the letter to the nearest candle and set it alight.

"What are you doing!" Will protested, both angered and shocked. He tried to salvage it, snatching at Jack's hand, but the pirate used his free one to keep him back whilst the other held the letter out of Will's reach long enough so that all he dropped to the grubby table were ashes.

"You remember what it said, don't you?" Jack asked.

"Yes, but-"

"Then tis better that no one else read that letter," Jack said darkly, "There are some things pirates won't even hear talk of. Isla de Sueños Perdidos is one of them."

Will looked confused.

"The Island of Lost Dreams," he translated, in a conspiratorial whisper, "Or 'Dreams Lost' if you talk backwards like the Spanish. One of the oldest pirate legends. It's a cursed place - death most 'orrible comes to any man who sails within a hundred leagues of it. Their souls are then doomed to live in a tormented wasteland for the rest of eternity, never finding peace. Even the bravest pirates shudder at the mere mention of it."

Will raised a doubtful eyebrow. Jack certainly seemed to have no problem talking about it and adding a rather inappropriate dramatic flair as he did so.

"I'm not brave," he clarified, "Just daft."

Well Will could hardly argue with that.

Jack leaned in secretively, as though he was suddenly afraid of being overheard. "The Island of Lost Dreams is a place that hope has abandoned. It's where men go when they 'ave nothing left. Why would you be so keen to go there when you 'ave your lass? You could risk everything."

Will glared determinedly at the pirate, unwilling to let his scaremongering dissuade him, "I cannot abandon my father," he stated firmly.

"Well then lad," Jack said brightly as he sat back a little, pausing to take a swig out of the bottle of rum he had stashed at his feet for safe keeping, "I expect you travelled the treacherous waters 'ere to ask for my 'elp. You wanna find yer old man."

"Yes," Will replied eagerly, glad Jack had broached the subject first, "You always said he was a friend of yours. And he was supposedly killed because he spoke up for you against Barbossa. He was loyal and-"

"Ye can forget the spiel, boy," Jack interrupted, with a dismissive wave, "I'll 'elp you."

Will frowned, "But didn't you just say that it was a cursed place full of certain death? Where men go only when they have abandoned all hope?"

"Aye".

"I just thought you might need a little more persuading then."

"I've faced worse," Jack said with a shrug, "Besides, I owe Bill one." He got unsteadily to his feet, pulling Will up by a handful of shirt, "Come along, then."

"Where are we going?" the blacksmith asked.

"Well," Jack said cryptically, leading Will out of the tavern, "if yer want my 'elp then you gotta do a little something for me first, savvy?"

"If this involves retrieving your ship again...", Will warned.

Jack shook his head, "It ain't the ship, boy. It's the crew."


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

Jack threaded his way through the swaying crowds of pirates that littered the main streets of Tortuga with ease, almost losing Will behind him a number of times. That wouldn't do at all. Who knows what could happen to a lad of his tender experience in a place such as this?

As soon as he was able to, he steered them off of the main streets and into the sleazy side alleys that wound in a seeming endlessly fashion through the haphazard buildings of Tortuga. It was far less crowded here and hence much easier to keep a watch on his young friend. Of course, it also meant he couldn't hide in the crowd which in his present predicament was not a good thing. He would have to be extra careful.

Will was looking decidedly uneasy in the less than welcoming surroundings of the back waters of Tortuga but Jack didn't mind it though. He'd grown up here. Played on these very streets as a boy. Snuck down them to watch the pirates returning to town from their voyages, wondering what it would be like to someday be one himself. If he were ever to call a place 'home' Tortuga would've been it.

No sentimentality kept him there though and it didn't take long for Jack's keen sense of direction to navigate them safely through the maze, to an area where the houses became gradually fewer and further between until they were officially out of the town. The road ahead carved through a thicket of trees and sloped sharply upwards, indicating that they were heading towards the top of the sheer cliffs that surrounded and protected most of the island.

As Jack had suspected it would - now he wasn't looking out for pirates wanting to attack him or whores trying to molest him - Will's patience with him finally ran out. A sharp shout of his name made Jack turn to see the boy standing resolutely on the spot, demanding to know what was going on.

"I told ye, I 'ave an...errand I need ye to 'elp me with," he said evasively, knowing that Will wouldn't like the truth much and that it would be better for both of them if he was kept in the dark until such time as he had no choice but to go along with it.

Will it seemed had a different idea about what was best for him though.

Jack, who had turned to continue along the path, stopped abruptly once more as something shot passed his face and a dull thud was heard not so far away. He carefully eyed the knife which Will had thrown and was now embed in the tree next to Jack's head. It reminded him instantly of their first meeting. The boy had got his attention then too.

"Very well then, mate," he said, pulling the knife out with ease, unlike on the previous occasion.

He began flipping it expertly around in his hand as he spoke. "We'd been out to sea six months when we finally decided to 'ead back to Tortuga to spend our ill gotten gains," Jack explained with his usual unnecessary flair, "Of course the men were parched of both alcohol and female company so our first port of call was naturally the finest drinking establishment this rancid little island 'as to offer. Well, after many, many rums, a brawl broke out between my crew and that of the Devil's Executioner. Apparently they were saying some most uncomplimentary things about me and my dear boys were just trying to defend my 'onour."

Will snorted a laugh at the idea that Jack had any honour worth defending.

"Them lot started it you understand," Jack said, as though trying to convince Will that the crew of the Black Pearl had simply been innocent bystanders in it all.

"I'm sure they did," Will said, flatly.

"And they started the fire."

"Fire?"

"In the to-do a lantern got knocked over, or something," Jack said with an uncaring, dismissive shrug, "And seeing as the place was awash with rum, it burnt down quicker than you can say 'Barbossa is a mutinous dog'. Course by then the Governor's Men 'ad stuck their noses in and decided to arrest me and my innocent crew for disturbing business. To cut a long story short, dear old Governor Marley 'ad us thrown in the cells with no intention of letting us out any time soon."

"But you escaped," Will noted.

Jack grinned smugly.

"I'm Captain Jack Sparrow," he said, by way of explanation.

Will rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," Jack said, finally handing Will's knife back to him, "As I'm sure you can appreciate, we can't sail the Pearl and hence find yer dear old man without a crew so we're going to 'ave get 'em back. And trust me, no other crew would be crazy enough to sail where we're going. "

Will let that comment go for the moment and focused more on the issue at hand.

"We're going to break them out of prison?"

"No," Jack said, sharply turning on his heels and continuing up the path, "We're going to ask the Governor to let them out."

"And how exactly do you intend to do that?" Will asked, irritably as he caught up with the pirate, clearly thinking Sparrow had finally lost it, "I should imagine he will not be very willing to attend to the wishes of an escaped convict."

"Well, first we're gonna break in," Jack said, as though it was the simplest thing in the world. Seeing the highly doubting look on Will's face he decided to add a little reassurance.

"'Ave I ever let ye down yet?" he asked, making himself look as respectful as he could, "Yer just gonna 'ave to trust me lad."

Yes, that was why Will had come here in the first place. Jack was the only pirate he trusted. His father had trusted him too.

"So," Will asked, stating what he thought was the obvious flaw in Jack's plan, "Supposing we do manage to break into the mansion, what's to stop him throwing you and I directly into prison with your crew?"

Jack smiled secretively, immensely pleased with himself.

"Because I 'ave something Governor Marley wants."


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

"This is madness!" Will whispered angrily as he and Jack crouched in the bushes to the left of a set of large, ornate iron gates.

"Aye," Jack pointed out, his eyes still scanning the gravel driveway in front of them, "Or possibly brains and you'd be surprised how often those two-"

He abruptly stopped as he caught Will's warning look out of the corner of his eye.

"It'll be fine," he assured, "Let's go."

Being surprisingly nimble for a man who usually staggered everywhere Jack hurried towards the gate, quickly climbed up and vaulted over it, checking back only once to ensure that Will was following him. Safely on the other side, he led the pair of them straight over to the building, keeping as low as possible and stopping with his back to the wall. He then motioned for Will to follow as he snuck around the side.

From the brief glimpse he had of it, Will decided the Governor's Mansion of Tortuga was an impressive building indeed. Certainly as fine as the one Elizabeth lived in back at Port Royal. He just hoped it wasn't as heavily guarded. Though considering where it was situated he expected it was and more.

On the left side of the house, Jack motioned for them to stop just short of a dark window. He pulled a small metal object from his pocket, checked around once more to make sure he wasn't being watched and went to work on the lock holding the window shut. Will had to bite his tongue to stop himself from protesting once more, feeling distinctly uncomfortably with the whole idea.

After a few moments of work, a click signaled the unlocking of the window and Jack slid it open. He stood back and motioned for Will to enter.

"Why do I have to go first?" the younger man whispered in protest.

"'Ow am I meant to watch yer back if I'm in front of you?" Jack reasoned, holding his hands out in a supposedly innocent manner.

Will glared at him.

"Look," Jack pressed, "The quicker we get my crew back, the quicker we get on our way, savvy?"

Will sighed, having a feeling Jack was going to try and use that excuse to get away with a few more things before this night was out. But what could he do? The man was right.

Climbing carefully up to perch on the frame, he was dismayed to see that the room was almost pitch black inside. The trees surrounding this side of the house were blocking out the moonlight, which he guessed was why Jack had chosen this point of entry in the first place, even if it did make it impossible for Will to see what he was walking in to. He looked back at Jack, the concern showing on his face.

"It's alright," the pirate insisted with a careless wave, "It's just the servant's quarters."

"How do you know?" Will asked, surprised.

Jack rolled his eyes, seemingly irritated with the questioning, "I've been here before, all right?"

And with that, impatient with all the delays, Jack shoved him through the window.

Will tumbled forward from his precarious perch on the window sill, thankfully landing on something large and soft before bouncing off to hit the wooden floor with a thud. A startled cry was heard, quickly followed by a dull thump. Will looked back, his eyes gradually becoming accustom to the dark, to see Jack clambering through behind him and struggling to pick up a large unconscious woman who had been sleeping in the bed Will had landed on.

"What did you do!" Will asked, as loudly as he dare.

"It was self defence," Jack explained, as though Will was the one being unreasonable, "She's a big lass. She'll be alright. Now give me a hand."

Having no choice Will assisted Jack in hauling the woman to a nearby closet, which they locked just in case, Jack assuring him that someone would find her by the morning.

The pirate then lead the way to the door and, after spending a long moment listening with his ear pressed to the wood, he opened it a crack and checked along the corridor outside before pulling Will out after him.

Whereas most normal men would have done their utmost to stay hidden, Jack strutted along as though he owned the place. Turning left at the end of the corridor, they strolled into the grand entrance hall that mainly consisted of an enormous staircase that lead up to the first floor landing. The place was very opulently decorated with treasure plundered over the years the family had lived there. Fine tapestries and gold framed paintings hung on the wall. Ornate tables to the left and right of the hall held vases and statues all of which were exquisite in their detail and craftsmanship. There were also a few glass cases containing jewelry. It all looked very fine, but it gave Will the feeling that the owner was out to impress. Bragging almost. The Governor was clearly a rich man and wasn't afraid to express it.

Another feeling struck him too. Considering Jack had said this had been the home of the Marley family for a century, it didn't feel very homely.

Jack crossed straight to the table, inspecting the pieces with a pirate's eye.

"Very nice, very nice," he said appreciatively, as he carelessly picked up a particularly fine vase, "This is a new addition. The old Governor's certainly got taste."

Will wasn't interested in what Jack was holding however, he was instead curiously looking at a bronze statue depicting a woman releasing a bird. It was the spitting image of the figurehead of the Black Pearl.

He was about to enquire to Jack about it, when footsteps were heard from the landing above. The pirate motioned for Will to follow him as he went round to the right side of the staircase and to a door, hidden so well in the wooden paneling that you wouldn't have seen it unless you knew what you were looking for.

The room inside was dimly lit by one candle that cast an ominous shadows over the contents. To Will it appeared to be some sort of practice or training room, swords of all sorts of design and origin littered the walls. In the centre of a large, clear area in the middle of the room was the stuffed epitaph of a man. The white linen it was made of had clearly been repaired in more than one place, as though it had been ferociously practiced on once too often.

Having not the time to consider it further, Will turned back to where Jack was peering through the tinniest crack he had left in the door. Will joined him to watch as two burly men headed towards the front door, muttering something about 'patrol' and the Governor being in a foul mood of late. Once they had disappeared outside, he distinctly heard Jack count to ten before he stepped back out into the hall again.

As they shut the door quietly behind them, neither saw the figure step out from the shadows in the corner of the room from where it had been hiding.

"Where to now?" Will asked, the seriousness of their predicament having weighed itself upon him once more.

"Upstairs," Jack answered smartly, "If I know the Governor - and I do - we need to head straight to the main office. Finds it 'ard to get away from the job, see?"

Will was about to ask Jack how he knew so much about the Governor when the main doors behind them creaked open once more and the two men re-entered.

"...can't believe you forgot your bloody pistol," one of them was saying to the other. He trailed off however when he saw the pirate and the blacksmith who had no time to hide.

"Oi!" the second man shouted after a moment of staring at them incredulously.

With lightning speed, Jack plucked a vase off the nearby table and threw it at them. One of the men instinctively went to catch it, knocking back into his companion and they both fell to the floor.

Jack and Will meanwhile made a break for it, the pirate not leading them up the stairs as Will would have expected but instead back the way they came. As he headed passed the room they had entered through it also became clear that Jack did not intend for them simply to escape either. It soon became apparent what his thinking was though as a smaller set of back stairs came into view. Unfortunately at that very moment another man was walking down them.

He gave chase as Jack and Will entered the nearest door to their left, which turned out to be the kitchen. The maid and the cook shrieked in alarm as Jack and Will managed to run round and put the large oak table between themselves and what was clearly another one of the Governor's Men.

For want of a better weapon - having had all his effects confiscated during his arrest - Jack grabbed down the nearest pot that was hanging over his head and brandished it as threateningly as he could. The guard just grinned a foul toothed grin and pulled his sword. Jack's eyes widened and in an act of desperation he threw the pot with all his force at the guard.

There was a loud clang and the grin remained on the man's face as he fell backwards, unconscious.

Jack and Will shared a look and a shrug before continuing on their flight.

"Terribly sorry ladies," Will said, in apology to the two servants as he passed, picking up the sheets the maid had dropped and handing them back to her.

Out of the kitchen, they once more headed to the back stairs, hearing cries from behind them as the two guards from the main hall came after them. Sprinting up one flight, they emerged in a hallway, similar to the last but much more finely decorated. They ran down it and turned to head onto the second floor landing.

"The Governor's office is just 'ere," Jack explained.

Unfortunately, so were three of the Governor's Men, who ran up the main staircase with renewed vigor when they caught sight of the two.

Turning on their heels, Jack and Will ran back into the corridor heading once again for the back stairs. As they arrived, they could see the two guards from the main entrance running up towards them and so had no choice but head up to the second floor.

Again, they ran down an identical looking corridor and out onto the landing. Will peered over the banister to look below as more men came running up the main staircase towards them. The sound of pounding footsteps from the corridor behind them also increased at a rapid pace.

"We're trapped!" Will said, turning on Jack.

He was about to berate him once more for his idiotic plan, when Jack ran round the far side of the landing. Knowing not what else to do, Will followed.

"Give me yer knife," Jack said quickly, holding out his hand for it.

Will handed it to him without question, hoping that the insanity that was one of Jack's plans was going to save both their necks.

Jack leaned over the banister and cut some slits in the large tapestry that was secured below them, stretching right down to the ground floor. Handing back the knife, Jack indicated one of the sections he had cut a slit into.

"Grab that and jump," he ordered Will.

"You are mad!" the young blacksmith exclaimed, shaking his head.

He had no time to protest any further however as the two sets of guards pursuing them arrived on the landing simultaneously. Sharing a look with Jack - deciding that if they didn't die he was certainly going to kill him - the pair of them vaulted over the banister.

Fortunately for them both the material of the tapestry was thin enough to tear under their weight, but thick enough to slow their descent so that they hit the floor with a painful bump as opposed to a fatal thud.

"Quick," Will said, as he picked himself up, realising that they had landed right outside of the practice room they had hidden in just before, "We should get some weapons."

At least then they would stand a chance when the guards inevitably caught up with them again. They should have thought of it earlier actually. In fact, they should have brought more with them than just Will's knife. But that was Captain Jack Sparrow's planning for you.

Jack nodded in agreement and immediately reached out to open the door. He was beaten to it however as it swung open from inside and he found himself face to point with a very sharp blade.


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

Both Jack and Will halted abruptly, Jack going cross eyed as he looked at the tip of the weapon, hardly daring to breathe in case he got the end of his nose swiped off. The blade bobbed in the candlelight as it indicated for them to move backwards so as to allow the person holding it to walk into the entrance hall.

As they did so, Will's eyes followed the sword back to its fine, gilded hilt which the blacksmith in him immediately appreciated for the ornate and difficult carvings. It was held with ease by a relatively small yet assured hand, which belonged to a slightly tanned arm which in turn was the property of a aggressively poised woman. By quick assessment he considered her to be around thirty years of age, for she no longer held the soft, sweet beauty of youth but was erring towards a grace and elegance which seemingly could only come with time and maturity. She wore a white nightgown and open robe, both intricately embroidered and trimmed with lace, clearly expensive. Both too were tight enough to show an athletic figure that suggested she was not a simple lady of leisure. The way she confidently held her sword certainly supported that fact.

The look on her face was not that of a young girl either. Will had never felt such a thing himself, but he was certain that hatred so burning must take many years to form and embed itself so deeply. Her dark eyes raged with it and her chestnut hair flicked angrily over her shoulders as she looked from one of them to the other.

After giving Will a quick, mostly disinterested and distinctly unimpressed perusal, her gaze locked on Jack and there was such malice in her eyes that Will was instantly convinced that she knew more of the captain of the Black Pearl than as a simple intruder.

"Ah, Isabelle," Jack said with a smile that was entirely inappropriate for the tenseness of the situation, punctuating it with a flamboyant bow, "It's been too long. A pleasure to see ye again, Milady."

"It's Governor Marley to you, Sparrow," she warned with more venom than a hundred vipers.

Will's eyes widened in surprise. This was the Governor of Tortuga? A woman? Jack hadn't said anything. But, there again, Will hadn't thought to ask either. After all, how could a woman be Governor of a pirate island of all places?

Governor Marley took a few balanced steps towards Jack, her sword still held out firmly as she eyed at him with a mixture of anger and distain.

"I seem to remember I sentenced you to rot to hell, covered in your own filth, in our foulest jail cell," she pointed out with no little spite.

Jack shrugged easily, "I didn't like the verdict much. Thought the prosecutor might've been a bit biased if ye know what I mean."

She bristled angrily but he continued on none the less, smiling that familiar cocky half smile.

"And ye forget. There's never been a prison built that can hold Captain Jack Sparrow."

His attitude only apparently served to incense her further - something Will considered very unwise given the situation. He was proved right when she suddenly thrust her sword forward at his throat, the blade pressing just hard enough to pierce the skin.

"An escaped convict breaking into the Governor's Mansion?" she said dangerously, "I'd be quite within my right to run you through. Let's see Captain Jack Sparrow escape from that one."

Will understood that; she clearly had a great dislike for him and he had escaped prison and broken into her home. By all rights she should have killed him already and it made Will wonder what had prevented her from doing so.

Jack seemed to have confidence in the reason, whatever it was, because he stepped sideways from the blade without further comment, blood trickling slightly from the small nick on his neck. He closed the gap between himself and the angry woman and she slowly lowered her sword in a manner that suggested she was quite ready to lift it up again and lop his head off if he gave her reason.

Stopping just short of bodily contact, Jack smiled at her, "You know, just between you and me, yer a lot better lookin' when you aren't snarling 'n hollering like a banshee. All this to do, it does nothin' for you luv. It's givin' you a terrible complexion. And that scowling? Gonna get wrinkles round the eyes, darlin', if you keep that up."

"And you'd be a lot more attractive if you'd actually ever learnt what a bath was for," she said caustically, "Although it does allow me to train my dogs to your stench."

Jack's smile didn't waiver, "Ah, but you didn't always find me quite so unappealing though, did ye luv? If I was a betting man - which I ain't of course - I'd wager you found me very alluring at one time."

"Something I'd sooner forget," she said, her voice tightening.

"We don't 'ave to be enemies, ye know, Isabelle," Jack coaxed.

"You made your bed, Sparrow," she spat, "Now, you lie in it".

"What?" he asked innocently, "While you lie in someone else's?"

Will knew what was coming even before she moved. He'd seen that look on a number of women who had been faced with Jack Sparrow.

The sound of the slap reverberated around the expansive hall, and Jack's head snapped back so hard Will thought she might've knocked it clean off his shoulders.

At that moment Will felt a sharp point dig into his back and he froze, knowing what it was.

"It's about time you got here," Governor Marley snapped.

Her men winced slightly at the tone.

A viciously pleased smile played across her face as she locked gaze with Jack, "Escort Captain Sparrow and his friend here down to the cells. I want them in chains until I decide I'd like to see him hang."

She took a moment to take in Jack's reaction to this news. While it was unreadable to Will, she turned away looking entirely satisfied with herself.

"And if he should escape again," she said in warning to the men that were now taking charge of the two struggling pirates, "I'll have all your heads."

They clearly took this threat seriously because their grips suddenly tightened and Will's resistance became even more futile.

As they were being forcibly but slowly dragged away, Jack called out to the retreating form of the Governor.

"The boy 'ere," he said, in between trying to push away the arms clawing at him, "'E's Will Turner. Son of old Bootstrap Bill!"

Governor Marley paused a moment, seemingly deciding if this news was worth anything to her. Will sincerely hoped it was because whatever plan Jack had had in mind it didn't seem to be working.

She looked over her shoulder briefly.

"That's nice for him," she said with soft, calculated disinterest before continuing on her way.

The Governor's men had finally got a good grip on them both and were making steady progress in dragging them along, while the Governor herself was just short of disappearing at the top of the stairs. Jack hollered out one last attempt.

"'E received a letter!" he explained, "'e's got word – 'e knows where Bootstrap is!"

'Was that it?' Will wondered, was that what Jack had which the Governor wanted? Information about the whereabouts of his father? Why would that matter to her? What could she possibly want with him?'

It looked like he would have to wait for his answers however as this time the Governor didn't stop.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

The lower levels of the Governor's Mansion were a far cry from the opulence, grandeur and comfort of the main house. Away from prying eyes, lying under enough concrete so that no one could hear the cries of the inmates, a dungeon prison had been constructed by the order of the first Governor of Tortuga, Isabelle's great grandfather.

It was definitely worse than almost any prison Jack had been in before, and he was coming from rather extensive experience. The conditions were no poorer than most and they weren't having hot pokers dug into their flesh or anything, but they were underground and that meant no windows. And no windows meant no fresh air to remind him of the freedom he knew he would escape into once more. Down here the air was dank and feted, reeking of the many pirates who had wasted away in here over the years.

Jack always found it oppressive to be away from the sight, smell or sound of the ocean for too long. It darkened his spirits in an unmistakable way, leaving him feeling trapped, exposed and almost vulnerable. He was out his haven. Away from his sanctuary. However hard he tried he couldn't relax, as though the very fabric of his being was disturbed and was itching for him to head back to the ocean and relieve it.

No chance of that right now though.

The cell that he and Will had been thrown into was in almost total darkness bar the light which crept in from a single burning lantern down the hall. It was probably a blessing really - considering the revolting dampness Jack could feel on the floor he thought it best that he didn't know what he was sitting in. He wasn't exactly a fastidious man in regards his appearance, but even he had his limits.

Will sat propped against the opposite wall, his knees held up to his chest and his chin resting on his arms, which like Jack's were now held in irons at the wrist. He was giving the pirate an expectant look, as if he believed this was all part of his plan. Or in the least that he thought Jack might have accounted for this turn of events.

Of course, it wasn't and he hadn't. What should have happened was that he told Isabelle about the letter, she immediately forgave him all his sins, released his crew and they all set sail the next day in search of Bootstrap. He hadn't even considered that she would still be so angry at him that she would simply ignore information that she would have cheerfully killed any man for just a few short years earlier. She'd changed a lot more than he had ever expected.

"The Governor was very angry with you," Will stated rather redundantly, clearly trying to find out more without being too obvious about it. The lad's patience had its limits it seemed - they'd been sitting in silence for at least an hour.

But Jack wasn't exactly in the mood to share the darkest secrets of his soul just now. Perhaps it was being told by a woman he had once shared an affinity with that she was planning to have him hung. If the cold, gnawing feeling he felt inside was showing on his face, it would have certainly explained Will's prolonged silence.

Or perhaps it was just the smallest amount of shame that made him want to avoid the subject - his dealings with Isabelle hadn't exactly been his finest hour. Her anger at him still pressed home just how badly he must have done by her. After all, he had left her to die and that was low even by his standards.

"That'd be the gypsy blood in 'er," he explained in a terse, evasive voice, "'Er mother was one. Well into their revenge are gypsies."

"Revenge?" Will pressed, catching the interesting word.

"That's none of yours," Jack warned darkly as he picked himself up and walked to the front of the cell, suddenly finding the small space even more oppressive.

Thankfully, Will knew when to leave things be.

"Well what do we do now?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I'll think of something," Jack promised, unnaturally quiet.

"Before she has you hung?" Will said, pondering aloud what he really meant to only think.

Jack turned his dark kohl eyes on the younger man, a thoughtful expression firmly in place.

"Aye," he said, even quieter, "I 'ope so."

There was silence for a long moment.

"I don't think she'll really go through with it," Will reassured, feeling awkward, as though he was intruding on a part of Jack's life that he had no right to witness.

Jack snorted a bitter laugh, "Then you don't know her very well."

Another hour passed in silence. Every now and then Jack saw Will cast a glance over at him to see if he had the look of someone who was planning a daring escape. He was trying to of course, but his last flight from here had been a product of luck rather than judgment and what with the Governor's warning to her men he didn't think they'd slip up again any time soon.

He smiled wryly to himself. Why did he keep thinking of her as 'the Governor'? She'd been just plain 'Isabelle Marley' to him once. When had it changed?

But he already knew the answer to that - when she'd become Governor.

That had been a bad year for him, all in all. It was the same year he'd lost the Pearl to Barbossa's mutiny. Then to finally make it back here and have to face the new Governor's anger, as if she believed what had happened to her family was all his fault, when all he wanted was to drown his troubles in the company of someone he could count as a friend. He'd grown angry at her - first for her silent accusations, and then for not being who he wanted her to be. For daring to change to something and someone he didn't like. That didn't excuse what he'd done though. When they had finally become something akin to friends again, when he'd at last managed to persuade her to get out, to leave her duty behind and to have an adventure with him like they used to, he had ruined everything. He had left her to die, favouring instead to save his own skin. And now she was quite gladly contemplating having him killed in return. What a fine pair they made.

His unhappy reverie was cut short as a guard appeared at their door from out of the darkness. Much to Jack and Will's surprise he began to unlock the door and they both stood apprehensively.

Was this it? Had she grown tired of the thought of him being locked in a cell this quickly and had now decided to proceed to the main event? He wouldn't put it passed her. Jack had already had a noose around his neck once this last year though. He hadn't liked it much.

Two other men followed the first in.

"The Governor wants a word with you," the first said, in means of an explanation as they were lead to an uncertain fate.

---

Governor Marley's office was a large, impressive room. No candles burned, but the huge round topped window let in plenty of icy moonlight to lighten the place sufficiently, even if it was in a cold, menacing glow.

The Governor herself sat behind a large oak desk, the leather seated chair clearly made for a much larger person than she. While physically she didn't fill it, she had an undeniable presence that made up for her small stature.

Will and Jack were brought to stand on the rug in front of her. It annoyed Jack immensely to be treated like this. A captain wasn't used to be demeaned and made to appear inferior. The very essence of a pirate's life was to buck authority and rules, except those necessary for survival and to maintain a running ship. But the Governor's family had always been clever and rich, and they had turned this into power by giving the pirates a haven, even if it did cost them some control.

"Ye rang, Milady?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

One of the men who had escorted them here kicked him hard in the back of the knees, making Jack's legs buckle so he half fell to the floor.

"You'll show some respect to the lady," the man spat in his ear as he dragged Jack back up.

"Well, I would," Jack replied tersely, as usual not knowing when to keep his mouth shut, "If there were one here. Unless yer referring to yer good self, of course."

He was kicked again, harder this time, falling fully to his hands and knees.

"If you're going to act the child, we can do this in a few days when perhaps you're feeling more obliging," Governor Marley warned scornfully, clearly taking Jack's subsequent silence as an indication that he wished to continue. She motioned swiftly for the accompanying men to leave, "Go. I can handle these lads."

Jack knew that was meant as a slight against him, but not wanting to get his burning knees kicked at again he bit his lip and stayed silent.

"I know how much you like to procrastinate Sparrow but for once let's cut to the chase," Governor Marley said when the three of them were alone, "You know where Bootstrap is and I want to know, so you're going to tell me."

"Really?" Jack asked, with mock surprise, "And why would I want to go and do a daft thing like that, eh?"

"Because it may just persuade me not to stretch you by the neck until you're dead," she explained in a coldly matter of fact way.

Jack nodded. She had him there; that certainly was reason enough.

"Very well, luv-"

"'Governor'," she corrected, stonily.

"Very well, _Governor_," he said with emphasis, bowing overdramatically, "You set me and the boy 'ere free and we'll go and find ol' Bootstrap, bring 'im back 'ere and you can ask him all the questions you want, 'ow about that?"

She gave him a highly skeptical look.

"Okay, 'ow about just setting me free then?" Jack suggested, "You keep the boy. If I don't come back, you can do whatever you want with him. 'e's young and not entirely wet behind the ears. I'm sure you could 'ave a grand ol' time."

"Jack!" Will protested angrily. He certainly wasn't going to be left behind as a prisoner and entrust Jack to do everything he could to rescue his father.

"Don't worry mate," Jack reassured, "Under that mean and scowling exterior, I'm sure she's still a decent lass at heart. She'll leave you intact. Mostly."

"Jack," Isabelle warned sharply, clearly meaning to protest too, but he held up his hand to stop her.

"And before you start going on about how you ain't releasing us, you ought to know I 'ave no or inclination nor intention of telling you where Bootstrap is until we've set sail on the Black Pearl with my crew, and Tortuga is a league behind us," he stated with more assurance than was due a man who was seemingly in no position to barter, "I can send you a letter or something. Or a parrot. We've got a good parrot. Limited vocabulary but I'm sure you'll get the gist of it. "

"Do you think I'm a fool?" she responded sharply.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Jack questioned with a mild grimace.

"I'm not just going to let you go and rely on your good faith," she said firmly, ignoring his taunting, "You'll walk out this house and I'll never see you again!"

"Well, then," Jack said throwing his arms up in disgust at her stubbornness, "We are in a predicament, aren't we? I, surprisingly, don't trust a woman who's threatened to 'ave me killed. You don't trust me because yer still irate at me. Which leads to a whole barrel of mistrust, which means we'll never get anything done so we might as well just sit 'ere and talk about the weather."

With that, he audaciously threw himself down in a chair and clonked his feet up onto the desk.

She glared at him but declined to comment on it, instead pausing as she considered him carefully for a long moment, as if weighing something up, trying to come to some kind of a decision. Finally she leant over the desk so they were at eye level with one another.

"Fine. I'll release you to follow your clue to Bootstrap - but I'm coming with you."

This struck Will as a little odd. She clearly didn't like Jack in the slightest yet she trusted him not to kill or maroon her once she was on his own ship?

Jack looked ponderous for a moment then he nodded.

"Right you are then. But it's my ship, my mission, I'm Captain and I'm in charge, savvy? You can be our 'onored guest of course. Thems my terms and you can take 'em or leave 'em."

She looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Very well," she finally agreed with a nod, "But heaven help you if you cross me again."

He rolled his eyes, "It's always the dramatics with you, isn't it?"

"And once this is over", she said, ignoring his comments, "If I ever see you again I will shoot you, no questions asked, understood?"

"Unequivocally," he replied with a bored sigh.

"Good," she shoved his feet off the desk, almost causing him to fall out of the chair as he lost his balance.

"So then," she said looking between the pair of them, for the first time properly acknowledging Will's presence, "What do you know?"

Jack looked at her as though she was mad.

"I did you the courtesy of trusting you," she reasoned, seeing his expression, "You can at very least do the same."

"Alright then," Jack said after a moment's consideration, taking on a surprisingly off handed air manner, as though what he was about to relay was the most ordinary thing in the world, "It's rather straight forward really. The boy 'ere received a little note. Told 'im that Bootstrap pays with his soul for all 'e did and so on and so on, and that his only 'ope is finding the Sea King's daughter asking 'er nicely to do something about it."

He'd tried to rush through it, as though if he said it fast enough she wouldn't notice or realise. That if he tried to make it sound commonplace and simple then she wouldn't question it. It was clear by the look on her face however that she was not best pleased by what she had heard. Her expression was hard to read; part disgusted, part disappointed, part sad.

"Is that it?" she asked, her voice suddenly unsteady, her anger this time more hurt than anything, "Is that all you have? Stupid stories and childish fairytales? You were out in the sun too long Jack if you believe that nonsense."

She stood up sharply, turning away from them as if suddenly uncomfortable.

"Your father believed in that nonsense," he reasoned quietly, "That's why he went after his property in the first place."

Will frowned, barely following the conversation. How did the Governor's father fit into this? And what was this property Jack spoke about and what did it have to do with anything?

"I don't have time to go around chasing ghosts," she insisted softly, her voice tense.

Jack got up from his chair and walked up close behind her, the irons on his wrists clanking as he moved.

"Why, you busy, luv?" he challenged, unable to hide the slight scorn of disapproval in his tone even though he was trying to be persuasive, "Got a heavy week of governing and spending other people's money ahead of you? Got some more taxes to collect or something? This could be it, you know - your last chance to find out what happened. Can you really pass that up?"

He placed his hand gingerly on her shoulder his long fingers curling around in a delicate grip, careful and cautious as one might handle any dangerous creature.

She stared out of the window for a moment, lost to world, before suddenly shrugging him away.

"We'll leave in the morning," she eventually said, deftly side stepping Jack and crossing towards the door to call back her men, "You two spend the night in the cells."

Jack rolled his eyes and gave a mildly irritated huff.

"Governor Marley," Will said, stepping forward to intercept her as he finally saw his opportunity to ask what he couldn't get from Jack, "What do you want with my father?"

She studied him carefully for a moment before she answered.

"You do look like him, you know," she said, in a kinder tone than she had used on Jack so far, "You may not know it, Mr Turner but we share a bond, you and I. You see I lost my father too. But whilst you have a clue to the fate of yours, my clue may be found in testimony of Bootstrap Bill."

Will looked surprised, but could question her no further as a man entered, bursting through the large double doors. Jack knew him as Mr Logan the First Mate of the Governor's ship, the Buccaneer's Rose. From what he knew, he was a loyal sort who had worked under the Marley family since he was a boy.

"Sorry to barge in on ye meeting Governor but this can't wait." He looked harried and was out of breath.

"Why?" she asked, mildly alarmed, "What's wrong?"

"Tortuga, ma'am. We're under attack."


End file.
